Player Discussion: Cole Perfetti 10th OA Pick - signed ELC 9/11

[Adam da bomb]

He is amazingly skilled but plays like he will have 5 career hits.

He is a smaller guy and looks 110 lbs dripping wet.

 

[surixon]

He is amazingly skilled but plays like he will have 5 career hits.

Well he has a good 3 to 4 hits already in the tournament. He will never crush players but he has been effective using his body to separate players from the puck and to me that is what hitting is all about.

Granted he definitely still has some physical development to do in order to gain more strength.

 

[surixon]

I think people are confusing coasting with not having legs. Its important to note that this was the third real game all these kids have played in almost a year. Add to that the 2 week quarantine during team Canada's camp and it shouldn't be that surprising that on a back to back game our guys had a hard time finding their legs.

It was the biggest concern I had for this team and that was how quickly could they work their way into real game shape. The European teams are full of players who have played 20 plus games including their camps this year so they really should look much sharper.

 

[Romang67]

I think people are confusing coasting with not having legs. Its important to note that this was the third real game all these kids have played in almost a year. Add to that the 2 week quarantine during team Canada's camp and it shouldn't be that surprising that on a back to back game our guys had a hard time finding their legs.

It was the biggest concern I had for this team and that was how quickly could they work their way into real game shape. The European teams are full of players who have played 20 plus games including their camps this year so they really should look much sharper.

What is it, 9 months of almost exclusively going to the gym and perhaps working on technique wrt skating? As you say, I think Perfetti simply runs out of steam out there right now. I maintain that he needs to work on his first few steps, but I definitely don't see any issue with how hard he works. I don't think I saw any other forward force as many turnovers as he did yesterday, for example.

 

[ps241]

Whats important is that he plays good minutes and gets that experience. 6 to 7 games playing minimal minutes at center in this tournament won't do anything for his development.

His development at center will be pretty much wholly handled by the Jets much like hoe Lowry's was.

Yea I believe if you get a chance to play up the line up with the best of the best players that is optimal. Also the coach has deemed at least for now he wants Cole on a top line and if that is going to help Canada win then perfect

 

[surixon]

What is it, 9 months of almost exclusively going to the gym and perhaps working on technique wrt skating? As you say, I think Perfetti simply runs out of steam out there right now. I maintain that he needs to work on his first few steps, but I definitely don't see any issue with how hard he works. I don't think I saw any other forward force as many turnovers as he did yesterday, for example.

His skating is much better then it was last year and he is stronger on the puck this year. Rome wasn't built in a day. See Scheifele for how much post draft development needed to happen.

Also gym time isn't a good substitute for game action. I want to see Cole and the rest of the team build through the remainder of round Robin play and hit the medal round flying.

 

[Adam da bomb]

We forget that we knew they’d be rusty going in. Well this is rust.

 

[ecolad]

His skating is much better then it was last year and he is stronger on the puck this year. Rome wasn't built in a day. See Scheifele for how much post draft development needed to happen.

Also gym time isn't a good substitute for game action. I want to see Cole and the rest of the team build through the remainder of round Robin play and hit the medal round flying.

Agree with this sentiment about skating. His somewhat unorthodox style currently has him in a bent-forward/rounded spine posture which makes him appear smaller than what one might expect from a player his height. This isn`t a problem but I`m betting that it is something that a skating coach will attempt to alter,while focussing on other more fundamental skating mechanics.

 

[surixon]

Agree with this sentiment about skating. His somewhat unorthodox style currently has him in a bent-forward/rounded spine posture which makes him appear smaller than what one might expect from a player his height. This isn`t a problem but I`m betting that it is something that a skating coach will attempt to alter,while focussing on other more fundamental skating mechanics.

Agreed, there are still areas of his skating mechanics that need further refinement.

The big thing for me is that in full gear his stride looks much smoother and compact then last year which is allowing him to hit another gear top speed wise then last year. From hearing him speak that seemed to be one of his main focuses this offseason.

I would imagine his starts should be the next major thing on the list to address.

 

[Kaako Kappo]

He is amazingly skilled but plays like he will have 5 career hits.

That's fine though. Smaller slick playmaker, reminds me a bit of Teräväinen.

 

[Teemusalami204]

That's fine though. Smaller slick playmaker, reminds me a bit of Teräväinen.

I wouldn’t mind either if our team wasn’t the softest in the NHL.

 

[Adam da bomb]

I wouldn’t mind either if our team wasn’t the softest in the NHL.

He doesn’t throw a lot of hits but he’s not soft. He hasn’t been afraid to go into the corners. He could go to the net more. Also he’s one guy. The team doesn’t need to be the softest of our big guys like Laine throw around their weight we have plenty of guys of size.

 

[WolfHouse]

Ehlers is not soft either... it just doesn't matter.

 

[Teemusalami204]

He doesn’t throw a lot of hits but he’s not soft. He hasn’t been afraid to go into the corners. He could go to the net more. Also he’s one guy. The team doesn’t need to be the softest of our big guys like Laine throw around their weight we have plenty of guys of size.

We do have plenty of size. But they don’t play that way. Our own captain said “ we are not built that way “ after the caps pushed us around like we were a peewee team last year.

The NHL is transitioning to small soft and skilled but the last 3 cup winners went against that. They got bigger and stronger after they got pushed around the previous year.

I have Montreal finishing ahead of us for this fact alone. They see what’s happened in the NHL last few seasons and got significantly tougher

 

[Kaako Kappo]

We do have plenty of size. But they don’t play that way. Our own captain said “ we are not built that way “ after the caps pushed us around like we were a peewee team last year.

Canes took Caps to game 7 and won, and that team is also all peewee. I really feel like that's just a bad excuse.

 

[WolfHouse]

Canes took Caps to game 7 and won, and that team is also all peewee. I really feel like that's just a bad excuse.

Canes D core is big and tough... Hamilton is 6'6 230, Slavin, Gardiner, Fleury all 6'3

 

[Romang67]

Canes D core is big and tough... Hamilton is 6'6 230, Slavin, Gardiner, Fleury all 6'3

Huh? Hamilton, Gardiner and Fleury have all been labeled as soft players.

 

[Kaako Kappo]

Canes D core is big and tough... Hamilton is 6'6 230, Slavin, Gardiner, Fleury all 6'3

They're big, but none of these are tough.

What they have going for them is that they're a lightyear better than Jets blueline. Which probably helped more than being big and tough.

 

[Weezeric]

Canes D core is big and tough... Hamilton is 6'6 230, Slavin, Gardiner, Fleury all 6'3

Hah I can see stretching the truth to make a point but to call Jake Gardiner big and tough.....

 

[WolfHouse]

Hah I can see stretching the truth to make a point but to call Jake Gardiner big and tough.....

Is it fair to say bigger and tougher than Neal Pionk?

 

[surixon]

How was Tampa a big and tough team? Their forward core is mostly small and skilled. Yeah they had some big and physical players worked into that lineup but that isn't that different then what we have in our forward core.

They have Hedman on defense but other than that their defense wasn't super tough.

 

[Teemusalami204]

How was Tampa a big and tough team? Their forward core is mostly small and skilled. Yeah they had some big and physical players worked into that lineup but that isn't that different then what we have in our forward core.

They have Hedman on defense but other than that their defense wasn't super tough.

Go look at the additions they made after they got swept.

There is a big deference. We are very soft. Even sergichev plays harder and tougher then any dman we have

 

[surixon]

Go look at the additions they made after they got swept.

There is a big deference. We are very soft. Even sergichev plays harder and tougher then any dman we have

So a few tough bottom 6 players and a bottom pairing physical dmen really makes that much of a difference to you?

They hardly made a difference, why Tampa won is because their star players shot the lights out in the playoffs.

Its why we went far in 17-18 despite not being a super physical team.

 

[Teemusalami204]

So a few tough bottom 6 players and a bottom pairing physical dmen really makes that much of a difference to you?

They hardly made a difference, why Tampa won is because their star players shot the lights out in the playoffs.

Its why we went far in 17-18 despite not being a super physical team.

It makes a huge difference. Their star players got to play like they needed to because they had tough players on their team.

 

[WolfHouse]

So a few tough bottom 6 players and a bottom pairing physical dmen really makes that much of a difference to you?

They hardly made a difference, why Tampa won is because their star players shot the lights out in the playoffs.

Its why we went far in 17-18 despite not being a super physical team.

We were absolutely physical in 2017-18 - players knew that Trouba or Buff would crush them if they tried to get fancy - we ultimately lost in a large part to the fact that Ryan Reaves offset that threat

None of Tampa Bay's D are under 200lbs - most around 230 - that makes a difference...

Tampa also runs three scoring lines so really does not get into a 'grinding' game... Maurice loves to grind